School’s heraldic dispute is all over
Craigie told it can keep school logo on uniforms
Pupils at a Perth primary school will be able to continue wearing their uniforms with pride – after a controversial dispute over a 300-year-old heraldry law.
Parents at Craigie Primary School had been told to cough up £1800 to register their school logo officially, after the Lord Lyon claimed it was a coat of arms and therefore breached the Lord Lyon King of Arms Act 1972.
The logo came to the attention of the Lord Lyon when the school tried to design a wall mural.
Under the Act of Parliament, which is nearly 350 years old, any organisation using a badge as a “heraldic device with an outline” has to have it registered as a shield of arms with the Public Register of Arms and Bearings in Scotland, and pay a £1800 entry fee.
The Lord Lyon has now said the school can continue to wear their iconic yellow badges.
In a letter to Pete Wishart, MP for Perth and North Perthshire, the Lord Lyon’s office said: “Be it extremely clear to you or to any constituents who are parents, at no time was any enforcement of the law discussed, only information given about what the present situation was.
“[It is] an exaggerated story which has captured some people’s imagination but not based on the reality of how these matters are dealt with within a modern Scotland.”
In his letter, he added he will also visit the school himself to explain his role and the heraldic laws to the pupils.
The letter continued: “[Lord Lyon] would be grateful if [Mr Wishart] would pass this on to the parents concerned, that there is no question of me being in any dispute with the school or the pupils of the school, who I hope to visit personally before the summer break to explain my role to them directly.
“In my view the matter has been dealt with disproportionately in relation to the issue at stake but I am clear that this does not start in my office, but simply has been based on misinformation about what has gone on.” school pupils will get to keep their own logo (inset)
The school will now no longer have to pay the £1800 fee to keep its school uniform.
The news has been welcomed by Pete Wishart MP, who said: “I now hope that Craigie primary pupils can now wear their badges with pride and without any concerns about their status.”
“I look forward to visiting the school with Lord Lyon in the near future.”
Parents had set up an online petition to the UK Government in response to the heraldic dispute.
The petition aims to make primary and small schools exempt from ancient heraldry laws like this one, and can be viewed online at https:// petition.parliament.uk/petitions/ 220396